With the many video poker games that are available today, it is desirable to increase the interest of the game player. The more players that can be drawn to a game, and the longer that they stay at the game, means more activity for the casino operator who is always trying to increase the total amount wagered. The attractiveness of the game also results in more poker machines sold by the manufacturer of the gaming device or the more CDs that can be sold for use on home computers. One major way to increase the attractiveness of the poker game to the game player is to increase the payout, or at least the perceived payout, that can be received for any given xe2x80x9cbetxe2x80x9d.
The present invention relates primarily to electronic video poker games, and more particularly to electronic video poker games that are based on poker hand rankings with a predetermined payout schedule. The present invention is applied to any poker game, such as draw poker or straight poker, with any number of cards such as from three to seven cards, with or without wild cards.
The present invention has many versions with the common thread being that for any given single wager, there are two or more random deals, one of which is a face up deal from 52 cards for a normal poker hand and a separate random deal with the card backs facing up deal from a deck of either 52 cards, or a lesser number or cards or other devices, and for which the player normally has no interactive play. The random card back deal provides a hand of card backs, some of which may include a xe2x80x9cwinningxe2x80x9d indicia or symbol, which if the symbol appears in a predetermined number or in a specific location, establishes a card back payout. The card back hand deal, separate from the normal poker deal, establishes a separate payout in addition to the payout for certain face up winning poker hands. Since there is the possibility for a payout from the poker hand plus the possibility of a substantial payout from the card back hand, there is an increased interest by the player. While the present invention is especially applicable to video poker games, the invention also involves features that may apply to table poker games as well.
One method of the present invention introduces a poker game that in effect for a single given bet provides two deals, one with a face up hand from a deck of 52 cards as in normal poker, and a separate random deal with a face down hand, referred to herein as a card back hand, or some other card back bonus deal including the potential for increased payouts. In one version of the present invention, the card back up hand is a random deal from 52 cards and is separate from the face up hand. The card back up hand, normally without any player interaction, provides a payout that is from a predetermined statistical table based upon the number of payout symbols that appear of the card back hand. In another version of the present invention, the card back or bonus deal can be from a deck of less than 52 cards, or in a video game a deal of a predetermined number of die. The payout from either the card back hand or bonus deal is stored and applied in the poker pay table that is established for the normal poker face up hand. It is particularly noted that the face up poker hand is dealt from a deck of 52 cards and is played the same as standard poker games such as five card draw, seven card stud, etc. Thus the game player is not required to learn a new form of poker that could prevent some players from attempting the new game. However at the same time the poker player gets a separate face down deal, or bonus deal, which requires no interaction on the player""s part, but which can substantially increase the payout from the single given wager.
The present invention includes a method of playing a poker card game comprising selecting a wager for the poker card game, randomly dealing a poker hand of three or more cards all having the card faces up, determining the poker hand ranking and establishing a poker hand payout from a preestablished table providing a payout for various poker hands, from a number of cards having a predetermined number of the card backs having a payout symbol, randomly dealing a card back hand of at least three cards all having the card backs up, establishing a card back payout determined by the number of the card backs in the card back hand having the payout symbol or by the location of a card back having the payout symbol, storing the card back payout and the poker hand payout, and determining a final payout taking together the card back payout and the poker hand payout.